A new historical marker being unveiled this weekend will identify the Lincoln Avenue home of Bay View's only female ship owner, Johanna Brotch.
The marker will be dedicated outside 515 E. Lincoln Ave. at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 13. It's the first new marker in the neighborhood in 27 years.
The marker, attached to a post, honors Johanna "Jennie" Brotch (nee Draves), who owned two ships – the schooners Arctic and Sassacus – in the late 19th century while living in the Lincoln Avenue house.
Brotch was born in 1857 and died in 1948.
According to Doug Mintline of The Historic Bay View Lake Captains Society, the marker is the first to be erected at the former home of a female ship owner, a female entrepreneur (Brotch also managed the business affairs of her ships), or even a Great Lakes ship captain.
The latter was her husband John Brotch captained the ships she owned and managed.
The unveiling of the marker will be led by William A. Draves, IV, the great-grand-nephew of Johanna Brotch, and Jeff Harrington, Brotch's great-great-grand-nephew.
According to Mintline, the house was built in 1890 by iron magnate William Draves, for his younger sister, Johanna, Brotch, her husband John and their six children.
The ceremony which is presented by The Historic Bay View Lake Captains Society and the Historic Johanna Brotch House and expected to last about 30 minutes – will also commemorate the 155th anniversary of the Draves’ family’s immigration from Prussia to Milwaukee in 1869.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
